A Time for Realizations and Change
by BookAddictedGorgeousGenius
Summary: What if Sirius actually rescued Harry from the Dursleys' at the end of his third year? What if Sirius knew more than he let on about Harry's powers and the prophecy? What if Dumbledore had an ulterior motive for keeping it all away from Harry? What if Harry and a certain red-head had more in common than he realized? What if she understood him better that anyone else ever could?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, this is my first time posting a story here and I hope most of you like it. I am pretty sure I'll be continuing it whether or not I get any reviews but if I see that no one is reading it then I might just stop posting cause really it doesn't make sense for me to keep on posting something that no one even looks at. Reviews are ALWAYS welcome; even if they are bad (although it would be helpful if you put in what I could improve too) and if you have any suggestion for my story then please feel free to send a PM to me and I promise I'll do my best to answer. I am Team Harry/Ginny all the way so expect them to get together pretty soon and if you see any inconsistencies in the summaries of the previous books then don't worry because those are made on purpose; I want to start bringing out Harry from his shell and I can't do that if he has always relied on his friends to be there next to him holding his hand. For right now the rating of this story will remain T for a while but as I write further it will change to M. **

**So, like I said, any suggestions should be sent to me via PM and post as many reviews as you can! :)**

**Chapter 1**

Harry Potter, also known as The Boy Who Lived by those from the wizarding world, was sitting on a swing in the park near his aunt and uncle's home and thinking about the events of the past year.

Unlike other teenagers his age he was quite accustomed to strange, and sometimes horrible, things happening to him. His parents were killed when he was merely a year old by the most feared Dark wizard of all time and when he tried to kill Harry _something _prevented him from doing so, leaving Harry with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead and the title of being the one who defeated Lord Voldemort. However, this didn't even cover half of the events in Harry's life leading up to now.

After his parents were murdered he was sent to live with his aunt Petunia (his mom's sister), her husband Vernon Dursley and their child Dudley Dursley. Up until Harry was placed on their doorstep the Dursleys' lives had been completely normal and they were proud of it. They counted themselves lucky not to have been tainted by the _strangeness _that followed Petunia's wretched sister and her good-for nothing husband. Needless to say that when Vernon opened the front door on the morning of November 1st he was less than pleased to find a blanket covered baby in a basket where his newspaper was supposed to be. He had been about to head back inside to call the authorities about the abandoned child but before he could even take a step back inside the house an envelope flew from under the covers of the sleeping infant and hovered right under his nose. Vernon sputtered and proceeded to turn different shades of red. Magic was not allowed in his house! He wouldn't have any of this crazy mumbo-jumbo infect his life. As soon as that thought entered his mind his wife came up behind him to check what was taking so long and saw the letter hovering in the air. She stopped behind her husband and stared for a few seconds at her name scrawled on the piece of paper and then glanced down at the floor. Upon seeing the baby with the black hair and green eyes she knew exactly who he was and instinctively knew that whatever was in that letter would change their lives forever.

She couldn't have been more right.

From that day onward Harry James Potter started living under the Dursleys' roof and was placed under their care; if you could even call it that. He wasn't treated like family, or even a human being. To them he was a freak. Worthless. Pathetic. A burden. He wasn't worthy of their attention and definitely not their affection since he was, after all, the reason that their lives would never be _normal. _They fed him when they needed to, bathed him when he needed to be bathed but never did he receive any hugs. Never did they kiss him goodnight or cuddle and comfort him when he had a nightmare. Instead they bestowed double the amount of affection on their son Dudley. On his birthday Dudley got hundreds of presents, whereas Harry didn't learn when his birthday was until he was sent to kindergarten and the teacher made a calendar of all the birthdays in the class. Why couldn't they love him like they loved Dudley? What was so different about him?

It wasn't until his eleventh birthday when he got his first Hogwarts letter that he got his answer: He was a wizard.

His first year as a part of the magical world started off with a trip to Diagon Alley, a magical market, where he bought his first wand and was given a beautiful white owl -which he named Hedwig- by his new friend Hagrid, the school´s grounds keeper. The rest of his visit was a complete roller coaster of events. He learned that he was famous, that his parents weren't really killed by a drunken driver like his aunt and uncle had him believe, that hidden on the other side of a wall behind a small pub in London was an entrance to the wizarding world and he also learned that his nightmares of green light and the scar on his forehead were connected. All of this was revealed before he even started his first year at the magical school in Scotland known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he definitely was not prepared for what was waiting for him behind those castle walls. Not only did he make new friends with a boy named Ron Weasley and a girl named Hermione Granger, he also became the youngest Quidditch player in a century and was plagued all year long about the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone and the person who was trying to steal it. Eventually he and his two best friends went in pursuit of the thief by themselves and, after struggling their way through a maze of tasks, Harry met the man that had killed his parents -and had tried to kill him- for the second time and, once again, managed to escape alive.

Harry's second year at the school wasn't much better. A meddling house-elf prevented him from receiving any of his friends' letters during the summer and purposefully caused him a number of injuries when playing Quidditch. As if that wasn't enough, messages were being written in blood all over the school walls claiming that the heir of Slytherin had finally arrived and had opened the Chamber of Secrets to release the monster within. Naturally Harry and his friends were caught in the middle of this. With half-blood students being attacked and petrified left and right, Harry was desperate to find out who this heir was and where the Chamber of Secrets was located.

Unfortunately for him his time seemed to have run out when Hermione got petrified on her way back from the library and then Ginny, the smallest sister of Ron, was captured and taken down to the chamber. Once Harry and Ron figured out where the Chamber of Secrets was they enlisted the unwilling help of the cowardly professor Lockhart and headed down to save Ginny. On the way to the chamber Harry got separated from Ron and professor Lockhart and went on to save Ginny on his own. After entering the chamber he found Ginny lying unconscious on the floor -barely alive- next to a diary with the name Tom M. Riddle written on the cover. That same man then materialized out of thin air in front of Harry and revealed that he had been trapped inside the diary and had been forcing Ginny to write the messages on the walls with animal blood while he controlled the monster through her. A basilisk. Regrettably he shed light onto something else as well; his true identity. He was none other than the memory of Lord Voldemort who, by killing Ginny and taking in her life force, would come back to power. Desperate to save Ginny's life Harry tried to use magic against Voldemort but quickly found out that it was useless and after that attempt he was too busy trying to escape the giant basilisk that was chasing after him, intent on killing its prey. Killing a basilisk was close to impossible but after Harry did so with the sword of Gryffindor he approached the diary and stabbed it with a venomous basilisk fang that he had found embedded in his arm. By stabbing the diary he saved Ginny's life and cut off the source of power for Voldemort, effectively defeating him once again. Fighting the fast moving venom flowing through his system, Harry went over to a now awake Ginny and leaned down next to her, intent on convincing her to go on without him but was interrupted by Fawkes -Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix- flying in through the entrance. The phoenix landed next to the boy and cried healing tears into his wound, saving him from death, and then flew the two students out of the chamber.

All of these events, in Harry's opinion, cannot compare with what occurred to him in his third year. No, he did not face Voldemort a fourth time or venture into the Forbidden Forest to battle a dragon. Something far more monumental happened. He discovered he had one last, decent family member left.

Sirius Orion Black. His godfather.

The man who had been sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban, the most feared place on earth for witches and wizards, a prison in which creature called dementors haunt the halls literally feeding on the souls of the prisoners. He'd been sentenced for a crime he hadn't committed: the betrayal of Harry and his parents, Lily and James Potter.

At the time of the first war against Voldemort and his followers -Death Eaters- the Potters were one of his main targets and he wanted them dead. So it was decided that in order for them to be safe they were to go under the Fidelius Charm, a charm that was placed over a location and prevented everyone else except for the Secret Keeper from seeing it, finding it or even touching it. The purpose of this charm was to basically hide the secret of the location inside a Secret Keeper and unless the Keeper willingly told you the secret then you have no chance of finding it. Even if someone to whom the secret was told to tried to tell someone else, they would physically be unable to. Only the Secret Keeper had that kind of power.

It was believed -and still is- that Sirius was the one entrusted with keeping the Potters' secret but what the rest of the world didn't know was that at the last minute Sirius convinced the Potters to change Secret Keepers, thinking that it would be obvious for him to be their Secret Keeper. The Potters took his advice into consideration and then asked Peter Pettigrew to be the new Secret Keeper. The change was made in secret and the Potters went on with their lives until the moment the Dark Lord entered their property as though nothing had ever been able to stop him and blew their door apart.

Following the deaths of two of his best friends Sirius went in search of Peter, believing him to be dead after being tortured into telling the Dark Lord the Potters' location. What he didn't expect to find was the house to be in perfect order with Peter nowhere in sight. Enraged he looked for Peter all over the place but as the time passed and he still hadn't found him he was about to head back and pick up baby Harry to take him home, when Peter apparated across the street from him and yelled _"You betrayed Lily and James! How could you Sirius?". _A flash of blinding green light covered Sirius' vision and when he recovered from the shock and looked around him at the dead bodies covering the street he did the worst thing imaginable.

He laughed.

He laughed because his former friend had just killed all those people and the transformed into a rat and fled the scene, leaving Sirius to shoulder the blame. He laughed because he never would've thought that Peter Pettigrew, the shy boy who worshipped the ground Sirius, Remus and James walked on, would have the guts to join Voldemort's ranks and betray his best friends. He laughed because they had all fallen for his act and had ultimately paid the price. He laughed because he knew he would be lucky to ever see his godson or his last remaining friend ever again. He laughed because in one night he had lost everything that meant anything to him.

And finally, he laughed because the bitter truth was that if he didn't laugh then reality would catch up with him and he wasn't ready to handle it yet.

After being judged in front of the whole Wizengamot -the magical court of justice- Sirius was found guilty of killing thirteen muggles along with Peter Pettigrew and being the deciding factor in Lily and James Potters' deaths. He was sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban but thirteen years later he broke out of the impenetrable prison with the goal of making the rat pay for his sins.

Harry Potter had found out the truth of his godfather's innocence with the help of his best friends and Remus Lupin, his father's loyal werewolf friend and Harry's current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Together they discovered the truth and captured Pettigrew, who had been hiding in his rat form with the Weasley family and acting as Ron's pet rat. But, like everybody knows, things sometimes go wrong and Pettigrew ended up escaping whilst Sirius was taken into ministry custody and locked up in the highest tower of the school. It was decided by the Minister of Magic that Sirius would be administered the dementor's kiss, a kiss that sucks the soul out of a person and leaves them an empty shell. A kiss which Harry could not allow to happen.

He stole Hermione's Tme-Turner, went back in time to try and right the wrongs that were done and ended up saving both an innocent hippogriff named Buckbeak and his godfather. He watched them fly away from the school grounds with his godfather's last words ringing in his ears. _"I'll come back for you Harry. I won't make the same mistake twice."_

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And this all brings us back to now, with Harry Potter sitting on an old, rusty swing with the scorching sun beating on his back and pondering his godfather's last words to him. What had he meant by _I won't make the same mistake again_? That he wouldn't get caught by the ministry and sent to Azkaban for another thirteen years? And what about the other part of his message, would he really come back for him? How could he anyway? It's not like he could just walk up to the Dursleys' house, knock on the front door and demand Harry be packed and ready in five minutes. They'd have no safe place to go since Sirius was a fugitive and Dumbledore would never allow Harry to leave the Dursleys' home. He hadn't with the Weasleys and he definitely wouldn't with his godfather. But still, even knowing that it couldn't possibly happen, he still held out hope that it would.

Leaving the Dursleys was something that he had always dreamed would happen. It didn't matter to him how it happened; whether a long lost relative came to spring him away or the Weasley boys managed to break him out. He just wanted to be rid of the oppressive cloud that fell upon him whenever he came back from school for the summer.

Harry leaned forward and rubbed his hands over his face then abruptly stood and looked up at the sky. His baggy clothes weighed down on him and made the heat even more unbearable than it would normally be. He brushed the hair out of his forehead and started to head his way out of the park. He was about to push his way out the gate when a shadow fell over him blocking out the sun. Startled, he gazed up above him and was struck speechless by the sight before him.

A hippogriff, the same one that he had given to Sirius in order to escape, was diving down towards him at an alarming speed. Before he could scramble out of Buckbeak's way the stunning white hippogriff changed course and lightly landed right next to him. Harry had been so focused on the animal that he hadn't even checked to see if there was a rider. He walked around Buckbeak, patting him on the beak on his way, and was once again stunned by what he was seeing.

His godfather, his _convict _of a godfather, was sitting on Buckbeak's back with a shit-eating grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye that Harry had never seen before. It had only been one week since the last time he saw him and he already looked miles better. Behind him Sirius sat his best friend and companion Remus Lupin and though he looked a bit queasy after the no doubt crazy ride, he still had enough energy to smile brightly at Harry.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing here! Sirius you shouldn't have come, what if the ministry catches you again or-" before Harry could finish his sentence Sirius had jumped down from Buckbeak and taken his godson into a crushing hug.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I told you I would come back for you and that is exactly what I'm doing. Me and Moony here just had to get a few things straightened out before we could come and get you." he explained while gesturing to his best friend who sent a quick "Hi Harry" his way.

"Wha-? Are you serious? Am I really leaving this place?" Harry sputtered.

"Like Sirius said, we would've come sooner if it hadn't been for some...complications" Remus explained.

"What complications? Did something happen?"

"Nothing for you to worry about now, we'll explain once we reach the safe house" Sirius mounted Buckbeak again and the hippogriff spread his wings wide open, ready to take flight once again.

"Wait Sirius, I can't leave now in broad daylight! They'll think I was kidnapped or something and send out a search party to look for me." though Harry wanted nothing more than to head off with his godfather and Remus -who he had come to view as some sort of uncle- he still had to be realistic and face the hard truth that it couldn't be that easy.

"Do you think we haven't thought this through Harry? We only came down here to tell you of our plan. We won't actually be taking you away right now," Remus said, "we'll wait until midnight so that your aunt and uncle can vouch that they saw you go to bed and you can use that time to pack your belongings."

Harry was still slightly sceptical. "But how will you even get me out of there? I can't go out through the front door, they'll hear me coming down the stairs and the windows still have those bars from last year."

"Like we said, we have it all figured out Harry. All you have to do is have dinner with the muggles and then head to your room to pack your things and wait for us to come get you." Sirius reassured his godson then turned to Remus "We better get going now before anyone suspects why he's been out here so long in this god-damn weather." he wiped the sweat gathering on his brow and gestured for Remus to get on behind him.

Remus looked apprehensively at the spot behind Sirius then turned to Harry and clapped him on his shoulder. "Just a few more hours Harry and then you'll be free from those people once and for all." With one last look at his former student Remus reluctantly mounted Buckbeak and held on to Sirius with a white-knuckled grip. Sirius glanced back at his friend in amusement then turned back to Harry and said "See you soon pup!"; with that he kicked Buckbeak on the side and the hippogriff shot towards the sky like a cannon.

Harry shielded his eyes from the sun and watched them until they were only a small speck in the sky.

**REVIEWS!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Quietly pushing the front door open Harry sneaked into the house, passing his aunt and uncle seated on the sofa in front of the TV, and tip-toed his way up the stairs making sure to avoid all the creaky spots. Once he reached the door to his room he almost smiled when he saw the locks nailed to it. If everything went according to plan then he would never see them again. Inside his room he closed the door behind him and leaned his back against it, his head making a soft thud against the wood. He closed his eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the strange silence that seemed to fill the house at that moment. Strange because his uncle couldn't be heard yelling at the TV downstairs and complaining about the taxes or his aunt scrubbing and vacuuming her way through every dirt particle to be found in the house. Yes, he definitely won't miss this once he's gone.

Opening his eyes Harry surveyed the room that he had been living in for the past three years. It was small, he couldn't deny that, and had never really felt like _his _room. Sure, he slept in it every night during the summer but it didn't contain any of his personal stuff. If he took away his trunk and Hedwig then it would look like a normal guest-room, a guest-room with an air thin mattress and paint chipping from the walls, but a guest-room nonetheless. Is this all he had to show for the thirteen years he'd lived in this house? There weren't any pictures of him around the house -the Dursleys would rather pretend that he didn't exist than admit that he was living with them- and he had barely had any interaction with the neighbours so they probably wouldn't even notice if he suddenly left. Was that all there was to his thirteen years at number 4 Privet Drive? Would _nobody _miss him?

Thankfully before he could explore this realization any further Hedwig swooped into the room through the open window and landed gracefully on his desk. Harry eagerly went over to greet his first real friend. "Hey girl, how was hunting? Did you get anything good?" He lightly scratched her behind her head and watched as the snowy owl leaned into his touch and hooted softly. "Really? That good? Well I'm glad you got something nice to eat; it's probably better than what I get here." Hedwig let out another hoot, this one louder than the first one, as though angry that her friend was getting so little to eat. "You don't have to worry about me, we're getting out here soon. Tonight actually, and then I'll get all the food I want." Hedwig turned her head and lightly nipped at his fingers before holding out her leg for him. Harry looked down and for the first time noticed the letters tied to her leg.

"Sorry girl; here, let me get that off you." He gently untied the knot, being careful not to accidentally hurt her, then led her over to her cage where he already had a bowl of water and some snacks waiting for her. Hedwig jumped onto his shoulder, nipped his ear in thanks, and then hopped inside her cage. Shaking his head at his owl Harry sat down at his desk and opened up the first of four letters.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you? Have you enjoyed your holidays so far? _

_So far my holidays have been great; mum and dad decided to take a trip to France and that's where I am right now. We've only been here for five days but we've seen so much and still have even more to see! Do you think our test results will come soon? I am sure I must've mistranslated at least two Runes and I know that I made a mistake in Arithmancy. Astronomy was alright but I think I drew Venus a little too far to the right and they might take away points for that. What about you? Do you think you did well in the exams? _

_I got a letter from Dumbledore a few days ago. He says he just wanted to check up on me after the events of you-know-who's escape from the dementors. He told me to get back to him if I heard from you-know-who. He also asked about you too and I think he might be concerned. Are you alright Harry? I read in Psychology 101 that losing a family member can be very hard on a person so I don't want you to keep everything bottled up. We are here to listen. _

_I'll see you on the 1st September,_

_Hermione _

Harry snorted as he read her letter. Did she ever worry about anything else other than test scores and her education? She'd only written a few sentences before she brought up the exams they'd taken at the end of the year. He honestly didn't know why she worried so much when everybody knew she was the smartest witch in their year. However he frowned when he read the part about Dumbledore writing to Hermione. That was odd. Why would the headmaster suddenly decide to write to a student? And about Harry's godfather! Nobody except himself, Buckbeak and Sirius knew what Harry had done to save them both; in fact, not even Dumbledore knew that Harry was responsible for it. Was that why Dumbledore had written to Hermione, to get information on Harry out of her? When he reached the part about keeping all his feelings bottled up and needing to talk about it to other people he felt a wave of anger wash over him. What did she know about losing a family member except for what she read in books! She couldn't tell him what to do or how he was supposed to behave!

Pushing her letter aside, he picked up the next one on the pile and started reading.

_Harry! Guess what mate! The Quidditch match between Ireland and Bulgaria is just a few weeks away! All of us want to go (except mum of course) and dad promised that he'd get us all tickets. I can't wait to see them play! I know they won't be as good as the Chudley Canons but it will still be awesome to be there and watch them play. Did you know that Viktor Krum plays Seeker for Bulgaria? _

_Anyway, I tried to talk to mum about you coming over earlier this summer but no-can-do mate. Dumbledore stopped by to ask about you too, says he's worried you might not know how to deal with S escaping again and that you need your friends now more than ever. When I asked about you coming over this summer he explained that he didn't want you to leave Privet Drive with Pettigrew lurking around. Sorry mate._

_Ron_

Placing Ron's letter on top of Hermione's he removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and sighed. Dumbledore again. Why was he taking such a sudden interest in Harry's friends? And he didn't want Harry to leave the house because he thought he might be in danger of Peter Pettigrew? Pettigrew, the coward who had plead for his life on his knees and who didn't even have a wand? The same man who had cowered in fear at Harry's mere presence? Harry logically knew that the man could be dangerous but he also knew that if it came down to it then he could easily beat the rat in a duel.

He grabbed the next letter. This one had his name on the front written in fancy script. Harry immediately knew who it was from.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am sorry to have to inform you that this year you will not be allowed to leave Privet Drive for the duration of the summer. It has come to my attention that with Peter Pettigrew on the loose it would be far too dangerous for you to go anywhere, especially the Weasley house which Peter is very well familiar with. _

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore _

For the second time that day Harry felt white-hot anger sweep through him. Was that it? Was that all the headmaster had to say as to why he was leaving Harry to fend for himself for two moths with these horrible muggles he was supposed to call family? He would love to see the look on the headmaster's face when he realized that Harry, who had not been _allowed_ to leave the premises, was no longer living at Privet Drive.

After throwing professor Dumbledore's letter in the trash he picked up the last one and turned it over in his hands. Who else would be writing to him? He didn't recognize the handwriting and when he brought it to his nose instead of smelling rock-cakes like he had expected, he detected a faint flowery smell clinging to the paper. Turning it over again he opened it up and started reading.

_Dear Harry, _

_I know we don't really know each other at all but I was wondering if maybe we could fix that. I know that Ron has been telling you that I have a fan-girl crush on you and that I'm obsessed with everything Harry Potter. It's not true. Well, not all of it. I **do** have a crush on you but I am in no way obsessed with you. I'm writing to you now because I came to the realization that if I didn't write a letter to you then I might spend the rest of my life wondering what if. _

_I'm not looking for a romantic relationship with you, no, that's a lie because I **would** like that some day but for right now I just want to get to know you and maybe be your friend..? You probably just view me as Ron's annoying little sister but I bet I can prove you wrong. Anyway, answer whenever you want (preferably in a few days though) and if you don't want to be friends then I'll accept it but I feel I must inform you that I am a wonderful person so it would be your loss..._

_However, if you decide that everyone could use another friend then let me tell you a little bit about myself: My full name is Ginevra Molly Weasley but I prefer people to call me Ginny. My favourite colour is red and I support the Holyhead Harpies all the way. As you already know I have six brothers, and nearly all of them treat me like I am still five years old (especially after the chamber incident), but don't worry I learned how to deal with them a long time ago (ever heard of my famous Bat-Bogey Hex?). Fred and George are the only ones that don't treat like a toddler and I love them all the more for that. They sometimes let me help with their pranks and they taught me a lot of different ways to temporarily incapacitate a boy so you better watch it. Also, mum has been trying to teach me how to bake but I completely suck at it, which just drives her crazy. If that's how she gets when I'm not able to do a muffin correctly then I wouldn't even want to imagine her reaction if she knew that I've been practising how to fly every night at the Burrow since I was six years old. _

_I've got to head downstairs for supper in a little while so I'll end this letter here. _

_I hope you write soon, _

_Ginny_

Harry felt his lips tugging to form a smile as he read Ginny's letter. It was true that they hardly knew each other but based on what he had just read from her he was already interested in getting to know her better. From her letter he could tell that she was honest, funny, brave, had a big heart and a fiery temper to match and apparently smelled like flowers. It was true that Ron complained about her from time to time but Harry had never thought of her as annoying, maybe a bit shy but definitely not annoying.

He already knew that he was going to write to her but he didn't know what to say. What should he write? An apology would be a good way to start since he practically ignored her after the whole fiasco with the Chamber of Secrets. It hadn't been his intention to no pay any attention to her but he'd had a lot on his mind at that time; that didn't mean that it excused his behaviour at all though. Yes, he would start with an apology but how would he continue? If he told her about himself then should he tell her about Sirius? It would be nice to have someone to talk to, someone who wouldn't push him to divulge all his secrets and feelings just because they thought that's what he needed.

With his mind made up, Harry pushed himself away from his desk and leaned down to grab a bottle of ink and a quill out of his trunk. He placed everything on his desk then took a piece of parchment from one of the desk drawers. Harry unscrewed the top from the ink bottle then dipped his quill inside and started writing. 

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"DINNER!"

The shrill voice of his aunt caused Harry to wake up with a start. He groggily righted himself from his bent over position on top of the desk and passed a hand through the mess he called hair. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, nearly knocking off his glasses in the process, and then looked around his surroundings.

He was still in his room and the letter he had written to Ginny was lying on the floor; probably from having been knocked over by him while sleeping. Reaching down he grabbed the letter and smoothed the creases on the parchment. He folded it in half, wrote her name on the outside and went over to a sleeping Hedwig resting in her cage. He tried to be quiet so as not to wake her from her sleep but his feathery little friend ruined his efforts when she slowly started to blink her eyes open. Harry rested his hand on her head and rubbed soothingly."It's okay girl; go back to sleep, you can deliver this tomorrow." Hedwig shook her head from side to side, ruffled her wings, and hopped out of her cage and onto the desk. Walking over to her, Harry picked a piece of twine out of his pocket and showed it to her. " Are you sure? You know you could just as well do this tomorrow and get some rest now." She shook her head at him once again and Harry gave up trying to convince her to stay. After tying the letter to her leg she opened her wings wide and Harry stepped back, waiting for her to fly out the window. "BOY! WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?! GET DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW!" Harry winced at the loudness of his uncle's voice and urged Hedwig to get going so that he could get downstairs. The snowy owl took to the air, made some rounds around the tiny room, then flew out the window and into the night. Harry watched her for a few seconds then hurried to the door and sprinted down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise.

Walking through the door that lead to the kitchen Harry was greeted by the sight of his cousin and uncle sitting at the table and stuffing their faces full of roast beef and potatoes while his horse-faced aunt primly picked at her food, only taking a few miniature sized bites. Sitting down on his designated chair, he looked at his plate and noticed just how small his portion, he only had one slice of meat and a potato, and compared to the huge amounts of food that were piled up on the plates of Vernon and Dudley his portion looked pathetic. He shook his head at the unfairness of it all and started to 'dig in'.

Approximately three minutes later his portion was gone and he'd drunk his one glass of water. Wanting nothing more than to leave the table to go upstairs and start packing, he impatiently waited for the rest of his 'family' to finish eating. Time seemed to crawl by as he watched his uncle and cousin refilling their plates over and over again. He sometimes wondered where they kept all the food they ate, it's not that they didn't have enough room in their fat bodies, it just seemed impossible for one human being to eat so much in such a limited time without getting sick. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Dudley and his uncle seemed to have reached their limit of food intake and Dudley stood up from the table to waddle his way into the living room. After all, the TV hadn't had his eyes stuck to it for over twenty minutes and, in Dudley's opinion, that was just wrong. Harry started to get up too. He was halfway off his chair when his uncle barked at him. "Boy! What do you think you're doing?!" His uncle's red, blotchy face glared up at him.

"I'm going upstairs to my room." Harry tried to remain calm and succeeded when his voice came out sounding neutral, but inside he could feel an angry flame igniting and gently flickering in his stomach.

"You are not going anywhere until you've washed the dishes and cleaned the whole kitchen. Come to think of it, my car needs a good cleaning too, it's still dirty from when we had to drive you back here from the station and I don't want any of your...unnaturalness in my car!" Satisfied that he had given out his orders for the day, Vernon pushed his chair back and made to stand up but the next words coming out of Harry's mouth stopped any movement.

"Why do I have to do it? Why don't you pry Dudley off the couch and make him do it? I've got better stuff to do." Harry had no idea what had come over him but he liked it. He'd never had the courage to talk back to his uncle before, not like this anyway, and it felt oddly liberating to finally say what he was really thinking and feeling. Oh yes, whatever it was that had taken over him, he definitely liked it, he liked it a lot.

"What did you just say to me, boy?" Vernon's face had changed to a darker shade of red, his pupils dilating.

"I said that I'm not going to do it. Make Dudley do it." The flame burning in his stomach mixed with his feelings of satisfaction and elation, making his blood pump faster and adrenaline flood his body from the inside.

"Listen to me here boy, you will do what I tell you to do when I tell you to!" Spit was flying from Vernon's mouth as he screamed at Harry. Harry almost smiled when he answered his uncle.

"No, I won't." It was a simple answer. Straightforward. Direct. Unacceptable to his uncle.

"What did you say?" His uncle's voice was deceptively quiet. Yet it did nothing to hide the pure rage behind his words. "What did you just say to me boy?"

"You heard me. I. Won't. Do. It." He made sure to enunciate those last four words. From his spot on the opposite side of the table from his uncle, Harry had a perfect view of what happened next. He watched as Vernon's face froze for some seconds then closely observed as it came back to life and went through various transformations. First, his eyes opened wide like saucers and nearly popped out of his head, his left eye twitching every ten seconds. Next, his face grew flushed, the colour gradually increasing until it took on the appearance of purple. His uncle lifted his hands from the back of the chair and forced his hands into fists, making his knuckles crack. He then straightened out to his full height, which wasn't much, and marched up to Harry, putting his face inches away from his nephew's. Harry had to force himself not to take a step back, it wasn't that he was scared, he just never liked it when anyone got into his personal space. He looked his uncle straight in the eyes and was surprised to find out that he didn't need to force his head up, he was the same height as his uncle now. Vernon also seemed to notice this for he had a surprised look in his eyes but managed to squash it in case his nephew noticed. But Harry did notice. Feeling more empowered than he'd ever felt, Harry had to suppress the urge to smirk in his uncle's face to show him that he wasn't the little boy that his uncle had once pushed around and insulted at his every whim. He'd grown up and he wouldn't take his uncle's crap any longer. Maybe it was the fact that he knew he would be leaving that very same night and probably never see his supposed family again, but whatever was happening to him was definitely welcome.

"You will do as I say you ungrateful little pest! It is because of our generosity that you even have clothes on your back! We have taken care of you and fed you with the food from our very own table you ungrateful boy! YOU WILL NOT TALK BACK TO ME!" Vernon raised his pudgy finger and poked Harry hard in the chest while showering him with spit. It was that action that made Harry step back and very obviously wipe his face with his cousin's oversized shirt.

"You can't tell me what to do, not any-more. I don't owe you anything." Turning his back on his uncle, Harry headed out the kitchen. O his way through the doorway he felt something coming towards him from behind and ducked down just in time to avoid being hit by a china plate. It flew over him and shattered against the wall. With his back tight with tension and his fists clenched, Harry turned around and eyed his uncle. "Did you just throw that at me?" His voice was low and dangerous, something that his uncle had never heard from his puny nephew before. It took Vernon aback for a moment but he soon recovered and puffed out his chest.

"YOU OWE US EVERYTHING BOY! We have taken you in out of the goodness of our hearts, treated you like a part of this family and I WILL NOT STAND BACK AND WATCH-"

"The goodness of your hearts? Treated like family?" Harry interrupted. His face showed his disbelief and he could feel his face flushing with anger. A feeling he had only had once before, when he'd blown up Vernon's sister, came over him again. Energy, pure and uncontrollable energy, seemed to pour off him and he imagined that if he tried hard enough he could probably reach inside himself and grab onto the power that was just waiting for him. "How could you possibly say that? You never bought me anything, I got Dudley's old clothes, all tattered and used. You insulted me and my parents at every turn and never, NEVER did you show me any kindness or love! SO TELL ME, WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BOSS ME AROUND AND USE ME LIKE YOUR PERSONAL SLAVE!? I DON'T OWE YOU _ANYTHING_! IF ANYTHING, _YOU _OWE _ME_!" Harry was left panting by the end of his speech, his hands twitching with the urge to punch something, preferably his uncle.

"YOU INSOLENT BOY! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO YOUR BETTERS THAT WAY? YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN MY BITCH OF A SISTER AND THAT USELESS HUSBAND OF HERS! BOTH OF THEM ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WERE BETTER THAN THE REST OF US BECAUSE THEY GOT TO GO TO THAT STUPID SCHOOL IN GOD-KNOWS-WHERE AND WAVE A WAND AROUND LIKE A PAIR OF IDIOTS! HAD IT BEEN UP TO ME WE WOULD'VE LEFT YOU IN AN ORPHANAGE WHEN THAT MAN BROUGHT YOU HERE, OR DROWNED YOU LIKE THEY DID BACK WHEN COMMON SENSE WAS STILL FOLLOWED-" Petunia, whom Harry had forgotten was still in the kitchen, kept on screaming and screeching at him but he had stopped listening. His fury had reached its boiling point and all he could feel was a rushing in his ears and his clothes being pulled from all sides, as though being moved by a breeze or a gust of wind. His hands started twitching and, though he wasn't aware of this, his previously shocking emerald green eyes had started to glow.

Suddenly, everything was so much clearer to him. As if in slow motion, he looked around and saw his aunt still screaming at him with his uncle standing behind her and nodding in agreement or occasionally throwing in an insult or two. He watched as his aunt grew even more agitated when she glimpsed at his glowing eyes and impassive expression. Harry chanced a look outside through the glass door leading to the backyard, flowers were being ripped out from the ground by invisible hands and the trees were all swaying madly in an angry dance. Grey and black clouds blanketed the sky and lightning flashed, striking the ground with an awful shrieking sound. The garden chairs from the neighbour's house were being blown about and some were even lifted off the ground by the powerful and unforgiving wind blowing through Privet Drive. Harry took all this is with a calm mind and reached the only reasonable conclusion for which a sunny day could turn into an electric storm.

_He was causing it._

The thought that he was capable of causing all this made him giddy with excitement. He wasn't useless after all. He could call up electric storms without even realizing what he was doing! The question was: what else could he do?

Harry turned back to his aunt and uncle, watching as they continued to shout at him and glance uneasily outside at the chaos being unleashed. Slowly, sound began to come back to him and he could once again manage to make out what Vernon and Petunia were yelling at him.

"-TELL ME WHAT THE MEANING OF THIS IS BOY! ARE YOU CAUSING THIS FREAK SHOW?! YOU BETTER STOP IT RIGHT THIS INSTANCE OR ELSE-" Harry took a few steps forward, sidestepped his aunt, and got right into his uncle's face.

"Or else what?" He calmly asked, watching with interest as a small sliver of fear entered his uncle's eyes. "You can't do anything to me." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added "I´d like to see you try though, I bet you won't even be able to touch me." Harry knew that he was purposefully taunting his uncle to hit him like he'd done when Harry was a small child, but he couldn't help himself. Years of fear, resentment, anger and humiliation were being let out in a matter of minutes and it felt _so good _to finally let go.

"Why you little-!" His uncle rose to the bait and raised his fist. He brought it down on Harry's cheek but before his hand made contact with his nephew's skin a force much stronger than his own stopped it mid-flight. His fist remained suspended in air, a few centimetres away from Harry, and Vernon watched in confusion and fear when nothing he did managed to break the obvious spell he was under. Harry took a step back and raised his arm chest-high, pushing through air until his whole arm was extended. Vernon was hurled through the air and his body hit the wall with such a force that cracks appeared on the plaster. Instead of falling to the ground he stayed glued to the wall with his arms and legs spread wide. Petunia watched from her corner in the kitchen as Harry walked towards her husband and stopped a mere inches before him.

"I hate you." He said, pointing at Vernon. He then turned to Petunia with those glowing eyes and pointed at her too. "I hate you too." He shook his head, as if not believing that the words were pouring out of his mouth and then looked at both his aunt and uncle in the eye. "You gave me every reason to hate you and now I do. I don't want to, but I really do." Harry felt his shoulders slump with an invisible weight but nevertheless he continued with what needed to be said. "How does it feel aunt Petunia to know that you failed your sister so badly, that now your very own flesh and blood nephew, hates you? I was left with you because it was thought to be the safest place for me to be; at least that's what professor Dumbledore keeps telling me, but I have to wonder what possessed him to leave me here with people that hate everything that I am when my very own parents obviously didn't trust you enough to do a good enough job?" He paused for a moment, listening to the dead silence that had enveloped the kitchen and the howling wind outside, then continued. "I'm leaving today. Forever. I'm not coming back and you will never see me again. For yours and Dudley's sake if you ever do see me, do not even think about approaching me because I won't be able to guarantee what would happen to you if you do."

Harry locked eyes with his aunt on his way to the door and watched as a lone tear dripped its way down her cheek. She opened her mouth to say something but Harry turned and walked away before she could tell him anything. He didn't want her excuses or explanations. He didn't need those right now and had stopped searching for them a long time ago.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He had to leave, he thought. He couldn't wait for midnight, he had to leave right now before he did something that he would later come to regret. He could still sense his magic moving out of control inside his body and, though it had calmed down a bit after the episode in the kitchen, he was afraid that any moment now his magic would break free and cause irreparable damage. Closing his bedroom door behind him, Harry frowned as he eyed the mess in his room. He hadn't noticed it before while he'd been reading his letters but now that he did, he surveyed all his clothes strewn on the floor and his books lying on his bed, propped up against the walls or hidden underneath the desk. He didn't have time for this. Ha had to leave _now_! Grabbing his wand from his pocket Harry got ready to summon everything to his trunk, but a sudden thought halted him in his movements. He'd done magic downstairs. He'd called up a storm, stopped his uncle from hitting him and forced him up against the wall and still, no letter from the Ministry of Magic had arrived like he'd been constantly warned would happen were he ever to use magic outside of school. So the question was: Why hadn't he received the letter yet? He strode around his room and checked every nook and cranny, just in case he'd missed something, but found no hint of a ministry letter anywhere. Had the Ministry missed his under-age use of magic? No, it would've been impossible to miss the lightning storm that arrived out of no-where in the middle of Privet Drive of all places. Plus, the Trace in his wand would've alerted them to anything going on and- _the Trace! _That's why they hadn't sent anything! Because he hadn't used his wand to do magic.

Harry mulled over this new discovery. He'd done magic without the need of a wand, and it wasn't accidental magic either. No, this had been deliberate and semi-controlled which meant only one thing: he could do wandless magic. He knew only two other people that could do wandless magic. Dumbledore and Voldemort. He was still reeling from this finding when another thought occurred to him. If he could do wandless magic, and he was pretty sure he could, then packing his stuff and getting out of the house should be no problem at all. Eager to test his new theory, Harry stood in the middle of his room and closed his eyes, concentrating. He wasn't sure how this should be done, seeing as he had no reference to base it on, so he would try it his own way. With his eyes tightly shut he imagined what he would want to happen and how it'd happen. Prying only one eye open, he peered out through the tiny slit then allowed both his eyes to open up fully.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Right in front of his eyes his shirts were folding themselves then floating to his trunk. His pants were literally walking into his trunk then they too folded themselves up. His books were forming neat, small piles before joining everything else as well. Once everything had put itself away, his trunk closed its lid and Harry heard the sound of the lock clicking. The trunk then righted itself so that it wasn't lying on its side any more and Hedwig's cage zoomed by him to prop itself on top of the trunk. Shaking his head in amazement, Harry grabbed all his stuff, opened the door to his bedroom, and proceeded to drag his luggage down the stairs. While walking down the stairs he expected Vernon or Petunia to pop out at any moment and yell at him for the racket that he was making but they never showed their faces. Not even when he opened the front door and stepped outside did any of his relatives show their faces.

Five steps. That was all he was able to walk before he was forced to stop or risk being trampled underneath the hoofs of a hippogriff. He saw his godfather jump down from the animal and rush towards him in a matter of seconds. "What's wrong Harry? Why aren't you inside like we talked about? What's going on?" The questions came pouring out of his godfather at the speed of light, the now calm breeze carrying them to Harry. He furrowed his brows in confusion before answering.

"What do you mean what happened? You saw what I did, you told me you guys would be sticking around in the sky waiting for midnight."

"We were until the storm forced us to fly higher or risk turning into a crisp." Remus had also gotten off Buckbeak and had made his way to stand next to his best friend. "The wind was too strong and the lightning was starting to scare Buckbeak."

"Then you didn't see what happened?" Harry asked. When both adults shook their heads he briefly explained what had happened inside the Dursleys' house and his outburst of wandless magic. By the end of the three minute recap his Sirius and Remus were looking at him with both amazement and deep concern. They took some minutes to digest everything and then Sirius said, "You're lucky you came out at this time, pup. We need to leave. Now." He took out a piece of parchment and placed it on top of the trunk, leaning against the cage. He tapped the piece of parchment with his wand, all of them watching as it glowed briefly, and then the trunk, cage and parchment all disappeared. Harry looked at his godfather for an explanation and he simply said, "Portkey."

Remus pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch. "We better leave right now before the next shift starts." He started to climb onto Buckbeak but Harry stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"What do you mean 'before the next shift starts'?" When both his godfather and Remus exchanged uneasy looks Harry felt a knot tying in his stomach. "What aren't you telling me? You can't just keep things away from me any more. I'm not a child, I can take care of myself and I have a right to know-"

"Harry, I promise we will tell you everything once we reach the safe-house," Sirius interrupted, "but right now we need to leave before someone is alerted that you're leaving privet Drive and you collapse of exhaustion."

"I'm not tired." Yet even as he said it Harry could feel his eyelids drooping and his muscles involuntarily relaxing. He shook his head from side to side, trying to relieve this groggy feeling that was settling in, but all he managed to do was make himself dizzy. He started to pitch forward, ready to fall on his face, but luckily Sirius was there to catch him.

"Come on pup," he said, "help me get you on top of Buckbeak here and I swear I'll let you sleep as long as you want." Sirius grunted as he dragged Harry next to Buckbeak and passed him along to Remus. Together they managed to heave Harry on top of the animal and once Sirius climbed on behind him, Buckbeak rolled his shoulders then took off on a gallop across the street. As soon as he had enough momentum, Buckbeak opened his wings, stretched the wide, beat the once, twice and lifted all four of them off the ground.

The last thing Harry saw before his eyes closed was the image of the sun setting down on Privet Drive.

**Reviews! (Not just being put on favourites or alerts, I want REVIEWS people!)**

**Also, I would like all of you to know that I am planning on writing a Hunger Games story soon, something that I can work on when no ideas come to me for this story or vice versa and that I don't know whether or not I'll be updating during the holidays. I'm in the middle of writing my finals too so don't hate me if the next chapter isn't posted soon. I'll try my best but I can't promise anything. For info on my stories check out my profile. I am still looking for a Beta too! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy New Year everyone!**

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**Chapter 3**

The clouds broke away from their unified formation, letting the sun shine through the dirty windows of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Inside, the only three residents of the enormous mansion-like house found themselves waking up from a long, restful sleep. One of them, Sirius Black, had found himself lying face down on his old childhood bed facing a sleeping hippogriff on the bedroom floor. The other one, Remus Lupin, sat up on his bed and immediately started getting himself dressed and ready for the day. He was planning on making pancakes and coffee for breakfast, since it was his turn today so he had to hurry up before his best friend and honorary nephew woke up.

Harry Potter, on the other hand, kept on sleeping. A little sunlight wouldn't wake him up. However, a persistent little owl pecking at every uncovered inch of his skin just might. He tried swatting her away but she would just come back for more. Groaning, he sat up in bed and mumbled something unintelligible, inwardly cursing the day he was given such a stubborn bird. He pushed the covers off and stumbled out of the bed, catching himself on the bedpost before he could fall face down onto the cold floor. Harry stretched out his whole body and cursed when some of the muscles seized up. After rubbing his forehead in exhaustion -apparently he hadn't slept long enough- he started feeling around the room, without his glasses he could only see the outline of certain things so it took a while before he was able to find them on top of a dresser across from the bed. Pushing them up his nose with his forefinger, he blinked his eyes then stole a moment to look around the room.

It was a very big room, much larger than cupboard under the stairs that his relatives had kept him in. He could probably fit three of Dudley's bedroom in here. The bed he'd been sleeping on was located on the left side from the door, against the wall and across from it was a dresser, two wardrobes and another door leading to what Harry presumed was the bathroom. Right opposite the door were two floor to ceiling windows with a fireplace placed on the next wall. The windows looked like they hadn't been cleaned in twenty years and they only let in a minimal amount of light. The curtains were held against the walls with a thick, decorative rope. Harry guessed that at some point in the past they might have been a rich, green colour but now they were covered in so much dust and dirt that he wasn't so sure. A desk was propped up next to the windows along with a chair but they, like everything else in the room except for the bed, were also covered in a thick layer of dust. The room alone seemed to scream loneliness and depression and Harry wondered why his godfather had brought him here. Was the rest of the house the same as this room, he wondered.

His stomach giving an obscenely loud rumble brought Harry out of his musings. He hadn't realized how hungry he was but now that he did, he rushed off to the second door in the room and pulled it open. Luck was on his side when it opened up to a sizeable bathroom fitted with a tub, a shower, a toilet and a basin with a mirror hanging up on the wall. After taking care of his business, he carefully opened the door and stepped out of his bedroom. The corridor he found himself in was just as, if not more, depressing and dark as his room. His bedroom was the last in the corridor so he took off in the only direction available to him. Traipsing down the hallway, he let his eyes take in his surroundings. The walls were painted black, with bits of the paint chipping off in many places and the carpet on continually let out little puffs of dust as his feet landed on it.

Paintings were hung up on the walls on both sides every few steps, each with the face of a man or woman with unforgiving eyes and lips forming a haughty smirk or their face lined with a frown. All of them seemed to be peering at him in derision, making him feel like they were actually watching him even though it was obvious that these were no magical paintings. They weren't moving or talking but to him it seemed like they were still judging him with those cold, grey eyes that they all seemed to have in common. Now that he thought about it, his godfather, Sirius had that same exact shade of the eyes, only his had never been this cold, not even when he'd just sprung from the Azkaban. The emotion behind them was different than the eyes on the paintings here but the colour didn't change. Could these possibly be his godfather's family?

Harry stopped walking once he reached the staircase. He had two options now, go up or go down. It was most likely that the kitchen was downstairs but it could also be upstairs so he didn't know which way to go. The sound of crashing pans and the smell of coffee wafting from downstairs quickly decided for him and he stepped onto the wooden stairs leading down. He walked carefully, always watching his feet and holding tightly onto the rail. Even though the staircase was against the wall and the steps only creaked every once or twice he still didn't feel like taking any chances. The steps looked like they could barely hold his weight and the last thing he wanted was to hurtle down to his death on his first day of freedom. So focused was he on not tripping or a step breaking under him that he didn't notice the ornaments hanging on the walls until it was too late. He was halfway down the second set of stairs leading to the ground floor when he happened to glance up from his feet. The shrivelled up, decapitated head mounted on the wall above a bronze plaque was enough to make him exclaim in surprise and lose his footing on the stairs, causing Harry to tumble down the last few steps.

Laying on the floor, with his sides hurting, he heard the loud footsteps of his godfather and Remus rushing towards him. He turned on his side and gasped at the sudden pain that radiated from his ribcage. He must've bruised himself pretty bad for it to hurt that much. From his position on the floor he saw Sirius and Remus' feet rounding a corner and coming to a stop in front of him. They both leaned down. "Harry, what on bloody hell-" Remus' words were drowned out by an ear-splitting and bloodcurdling scream piercing the air.

Harry tried covering his ears with his hands, while his eyes searched around for the _thing _-for it could not possibly be a human- that made that horrifying sound. His eyes were drawn to a velvet moth-eaten curtain at one side of the hallway that seemed to be shaking and rattling, as though something was trying to escape from the other side. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the velvet curtains were thrown open by some invisible force. At first glance, Harry thought that he was looking through a life-sized window, a window through which he could see an ugly old woman with a black cap and dress, standing behind and screaming and screeching as though someone was torturing her in the worst possible way. However, upon closer inspection, he soon realized that it wasn't a window - it was a life-sized, disturbingly realistic, magical portrait and it was definitely the most horrendous painting Harry had ever seen in his whole life.

The old woman's eyes were now glowing in ugly yellow and drool dripped down her chin from the sides of her mouth. Her hair was in disarray and her hands were held out in front of her, clawing at an invisible wall with black, pointy nails. She was twisting her whole body in insane pattern that matched the rest of her actions, her skin stretching tightly over her bones, making them jut out of her face and giving her a skeletal look.

"_Filth! Vermin! Parasites! Disgusting monsters! Half-breeds, scum, burdens to the world! How dare you step foot in the house of my fore-fathers! The most Ancient and Noble House of Black! You would dare defile-"_

Her screeching seemed to have woken other portraits in the house -apparently the ones down here were magical, judging by the noise they were making- and they too started their own screaming. Harry pressed his hands tighter to his ears and then with the help of Remus, got up from his place on the floor. He looked around for Sirius -he had been next to him a second ago- and saw him standing in front of the witch's portrait.

"Shut up! Shut the hell up you bitch! We don't need to hear your crazy ramblings!" He snatched the moth-eaten curtains from both sides of the portrait and started pulling on them, trying to get them to close up over the portrait again.

The old woman's eyes gained some sort of clarity and widened, her pupils dilating. She stopped clawing and pointed a crooked finger at Sirius.

"_You!" _she roared, "_Betrayer! Filth from under my shoes! Abomination! Traitor of my own flesh and blood-" _Sirius had managed to close the curtains on the crazy woman, cutting her ramblings short. He took out his wand from his pocket and walked down the hallway, Stunning all the portraits that kept on howling.

Harry felt Remus press a hand down on his shoulder. He let him lead the way to the kitchen where he slumped down on a chair. A cup of steaming coffee was placed in front of him and Harry took it gladly, swallowing a big gulp of the black liquid then hugging the cup with his hands to warm them up. He looked up from the table when he felt Remus take a seat next to him . "What the bloody hell was that?" asked Harry, feeling the burning need to know who the horrible woman was.

"That, Harry, was my dear old mother," Sirius appeared in the doorway to the kitchen with his hands in his pockets and a half-amused, half-angry look on his face.

"That was your mother?" the disbelief colouring Harry's tone was not exaggerated. That shrieking harpy could not possibly be related to his easy-going godfather and yet that was exactly what Sirius was saying.

"Hard to believe it, isn't it?" Sirius walked up to the stove and grabbed a plate full of food . He placed it in front of Harry, along with a knife and fork, and grabbed his own cup of coffee before sitting down on the other side of Harry. "It's a small wonder I grew up to be the handsome devil that you see today," said Sirius, wiggling his eyebrows playfully to lighten the dark mood that had fallen in the kitchen.

Harry shook his head at him then dug into his breakfast, savouring every bite and washing it all down with hot coffee. He felt slightly self-conscious eating while Remus and Sirius kept on watching him so closely though. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" he exclaimed, tired of having them staring at him all the time.

"No, it's just good to see you up and about once again. You had us worried for a while there, that storm must've taken a lot out of you," replied Remus.

"What do you mean? How long have I been sleeping?"

"A little over two days," when Harry pulled a worried face Sirius was quick to reassure him as best as he could, "we didn't think it was anything serious. You used up a lot of your magical energy by calling up a storm, never mind one that big; I've never seen anything like it before,".

"Well, not never," Remus corrected, immediately looking uncomfortable when Harry peered at him curiously, waiting for him to elaborate. When neither of them said anything else Harry looked from one to another then pressed on, "Well, come one, out with it already. When was the last time you saw something like what I did two days ago?" they both shifted restlessly in their chairs and seemed fascinated by the wooden table all of a sudden.

Finally, Sirius spoke up, "Harry," he began, "you have to understand that it means absolutely nothing what we are about to tell you, it in no way reflects badly upon you or anything of the sort. Alright?" Harry hesitantly nodded his understanding. What could be so bad that they didn't want to tell him?

"The only other time we saw a wizard call up a storm like you did, was around fifteen years ago when the war was still going on," Remus focused on the black liquid swishing back and forth in his cup before continuing, "Voldemort was very powerful Harry. He was at the prime of his power and no-one ever thought he could be defeated, it all seemed hopeless but we still kept on fighting. We couldn't give up and let him take control of our world, we just couldn't..." he trailed off, lost in the memories of that time.

"We didn't have that many numbers of people still willing to fight a losing battle back then, most of them had already been killed by _him, _and new recruits were hard to come by but we all knew when it was our turn to fight because it was always the same signs," Sirius swallowed then continued, "The sky would darken all of a sudden, black clouds would cover the moon or sun, leaving all of us blind to face our attackers. Then a green light, green like the killing curse, would shoot up to the heavens from somewhere below on the ground and once it had reached high enough it would explode. The Dark Mark would light up the sky and then spells would start flying in every direction. Voldemort's biggest strength is fear," Sirius concluded, looking at his godson directly in the eyes, "and nothing is more fearful than facing invisible opponents ready to kill you with no hesitation or remorse whatsoever and knowing that you could die at any second," he took one last swig from his cup then put it down on the table and cradled it in his hands, appearing to be deep in thought.

Harry tried processing what they had just told him. Voldemort, the monster that had killed Harry's parents, was apparently the only other wizard -which they knew of- that could call up a storm the same way that Harry did at the Privet Drive. It was disturbing to think that Harry shared _anything_ in common with the Dark Lord, but he tried to push it aside and focus on what it really meant. It meant that he had more power than he'd previously thought. It meant that if his emotions got too out of control then his magic would also get loose. It meant that he had the ability to protect himself -and others- but he just didn't know how to use it.

While Harry was deep in his own thoughts, Sirius and Remus had been exchanging looks across the table. In the two days that Harry had been unconscious they'd put their heads together and discussed what they were going to say to him once he woke up. There was a lot to be said in a short amount of time but it was of the utmost importance that Harry know what he was going to be up against in the future so they'd decided to tell him _everything. _That is, everything they knew so far and what Professor Dumbledore had been unwilling to tell Harry himself.

Yes, they had to discuss a lot of things with Harry; but where to start?

Fortunately the decision was taken out of their hands when Harry straightened out in his chair then abruptly stood up. He started pacing the dining room, his hands running through his hair and pulling hard enough to cause him to wince. He whirled around in place and faced the two adults . "Two days ago, when you guys came to Privet Drive, you told me that we couldn't leave right away because_ he _had people watching. Who is _he_? What did you mean by that? Am I under surveillance or something?" the questions came pouring out of his mouth non-stop. He needed to know the truth.

"I guess you could call it that. You see, when we said he, we meant Dumbledore. From what we found out from some very helpful people, he's had someone watching you since the day you were placed in the Dursleys' household," Remus paused for a moment to let Harry absorb what he had just been told. To Harry it was hard to believe that the man that he had looked up to for the last three years had known all about the abuse he had suffered under the hands of his relatives.

"You mean," Harry struggled to get the words out, "he _knew. _He knew all this time about what I've been going through in that house with those people!" he spat out the last word with apparent revulsion, "Every time I asked him not to send me back to them he just said that it was _for my own good and safety _and that I would _be glad in the future. _What does that even mean?" Harry had once again started his pacing, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers to ward off the oncoming headache.

"We think we might know," hearing those words, Harry pinned the two men with his burning gaze then motioned for Remus to continue, "When we found out about what you had been going through with those muggles, we hired someone to do a little digging for us. It wasn't like Dumbledore to send someone to a place where he knew they'd be treated horribly, especially you, so there must have been a reason as to why he would even consider it in the first place. A few days later we heard from the person we'd been paying to gather information for us but he said that when he got too close to the house something would push him back, some sort of shield, most likely a ward," Remus' eyes lit with excitement and Harry felt himself leaning forward in anticipation, "Naturally we found that rather curious so we went there ourselves. I got as far as twenty metres from the house before a barrier impeded me from going any further. It was just like the man said with the only difference that Sirius was able to walk up to the front porch with no problem whatsoever. We cast a few revealing spells on the house and they all showed the same result," Harry huffed in frustration when Remus stopped talking to take a sip of coffee but waited nonetheless for him to go on with his tale, "The are wards surrounding the Dursley property, blood wards to be exact,"

"That's not possible," denied Harry, "the Dursleys hate magic and they would never willingly let anything taint their picture of 'normal',"

"They would if they were led to believe that those wards are the only thing protecting them from the army of Dark wizards that would no doubt attack their happy family if they knew you were there," Sirius watched as the realization dawned on his godson, he opened his mouth to ask another question but Sirius beat him to it, "No, we don't know for sure who told them that but our first guess would be Dumbledore. The blood wards surrounding the house would need to be recharged every once in a while, since the presence of both you and your aunt -her being your blood relative- is needed. That, we believe, is the reason why he has pushed you to spend every summer in the house," he finished explaining and waited for Harry to fire off his next question.

"What will happen now that I'm no longer there and plan on never returning? Will the protection still be there? And how come you could pass through wards just fine when you have tried but Remus was pushed back?"

"We have a theory about that. The blood wards aren't the only ones on that house; we also detected other minor ones to keep out anyone that meant to harm you directly or indirectly, another few for Dark creatures and ghosts as well. The ones against Dark creatures would've prevented Remus from stepping foot on the property since werewolves are, for the most part, Dark creatures and because I meant you no harm I was allowed to 'go through'," Sirius clapped his hands as he finished speaking, as though finishing a well-rehearsed speech, and regarded Harry carefully. The boy looked like he was trying -and failing- to cram all the new information into his brain.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh and sat down at the head of the table. He placed his elbows on his legs then dry-washed his face with his hands. This was just what he needed; the one person whom he had trusted the most up until now turned out to be the one that had the biggest role in keeping him imprisoned in that hell-hole. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't his biggest problem right now. He hated to do it but he had to think about what this all meant.

"He's coming back, isn't he?" the hollowness in his tone caused both Remus and Sirius to become more alert.

"What are you talking about Harry?" asked Remus tentatively.

"Voldemort," Harry said his name with no fear, just dread, "That's why Dumbledore has been keeping such a close eye on me, because he knows that he'll find a way to come back. The Stone didn't work and neither did the diary but eventually he'll come back. And I'll be his main target, won't I?" he gazed at his godfather and honorary uncle with tired eyes. They didn't even try to deny it, lying would serve them no good and it was ridiculous to think that the Dark lord wouldn't want to kill the reason for his downfall.

"Harry, there's something else you should know. A lot of somethings actually," Remus looked to Sirius for permission and when he received a nod, he continued, "The night that You-Know-Who attacked your house, he wasn't there to kill your parents; his intent was to get rid of you. You see, before you were born your parents were made aware of a prophecy that had been foretold. They were warned that it wasn't one hundred percent sure that it had anything to do with them but since they fit with the requirements -since _you _fit with the requirements- , it was necessary for them to know and they chose to go into hiding. The prophecy foresaw You-Know-Who's downfall by a child no less, a boy, and though Divination is considered to be nothing but utter rubbish by some people, it is impossible to ignore a true prophecy. And that's what this one was -is," Remus paused for a few beats, "Would you like to know what it says?"

Harry straightened in his seat and nodded gravely; he had a feeling that what was about to be said would change _everything._

"Okay, here it goes: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._" he trailed off. He didn't need to say anything else. They all understood what this meant. Voldemort was obviously not dead, he'd been trying to come back every year that Harry had spent at school, and he would keep on seeking a way to gain back power until Harry died. No, not died. '_And _e_ither must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives'_, it was either kill or be killed. Be murdered or a murderer.

His uncle and godfather observed Harry as he took in the news. They were astounded to see that he appeared to be calm and collected, there was no hint of panic or fear in his eyes or actions, only a grudging acceptance. They had just told him that he was going to have to face the most powerful dark wizard in the world and he had taken it in a stride. Sirius got up from his chair, walked up to Harry and knelt down in front of him. "Harry, you understand what we just told you, right?" he rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Harry looked up in confusion, what wasn't there to get? They'd been pretty clear.

"Yeah, why would you ask?"

"Because...well, because you're taking this so well. Doesn't this come as a shock to you?" Harry's face morphed into a tired smile and his eyes seemed to dim slightly.

"Of course it does. It's not every day that you're told that you either have to be a murderer or murdered," both men winced at his blunt words, "but I was sort of expecting it, you know? With all that's happened to me since that night, it just seemed like it was leading up to something. Something big and monumental that would change everything; so in a way, I'm not that surprised," Harry ended his short speech with a shake of his head. He still couldn't really bring himself to fully believe that this was happening to him but, unfortunately, he knew that it wasn't a dream. "How do you know about the prophecy?"

"Your parents told the both of us before they went into hiding with you. Although most people believed that they'd grown suspicious of Remus, that wasn't true, they still trusted both of us fully. It's a relief that they never got around telling Peter," Sirius nodded along with Harry in agreement to Remus' words.

"But they must've slipped somehow if Voldemort got word of the prophecy," Remus exchanged an apprehensive glance with Sirius. They didn't know every detail of how the prophecy had reached the Dark Lord's ears but what they did know, they did not look forward to telling Harry.

"Your parents said that they were told that a Death Eater overheard only a part of the prophecy as it was being disclosed for the first time to..." Sirius really didn't want to add to Harry's sense of betrayal but there was no way around it, "Dumbledore," he heard Harry take in a sharp breath, hold it in for a whole minute and then loudly exhaling.

"So he knew about that too," he whispered, "I asked him in my first year why Voldemort kept on coming after me but he just said that he didn't know. But he _did _know. Why wouldn't he tell me?" asked Harry, heartbroken.

"I talked to him about it last year," said Remus, "I asked him the exact same question and he told me that you knowing the prophecy would just rob you of your remaining childhood and possibly break your spirit. I tried convincing him that you should at least know a part of it and that you were more than strong enough to handle the truth but he wouldn't hear any more on the subject; he was adamant that it was what was best for you, what was best for the greater good,"

"_The greater good?_" spat Harry, bolting up from his chair and pacing the room, "What about me? Didn't he stop to think for one minute that not knowing is one hundred times worse than knowing? Does he really view me as such a wimp that I wouldn't be able to handle myself? What have I been doing these past few years, huh?" he raised his hands to his head and started pulling on his hair, the slight pain seemed to bring things back into focus for him and he slowly began to calm down. "I am not a child any more, I can take care of myself. If I had enough money or a place to live I could probably even live on my own, I don't need someone to hold my hand any more or chase the monsters away. I learned a long time ago that they won't disappear on their own either," he plopped down on a chair and stared at his hands, feeling helpless all of a sudden.

His godfather and uncle picked up on his mood and moved their chairs closer to him, offering Harry some silent comfort. "Harry," began Sirius, "I need to ask you something, but first I want you to know that I am in no way encouraging your plan of living on your own -you have us now-; it's just that you said that you didn't have enough money but what about what's in your vault?"

"There's only enough in there for my school years, Griphook said so, and I seriously doubt my parents would want me to use the money in my school fund to run away," stated Harry.

"School vault? No Harry, I'm talking about your other vaults,"

"My what?" Harry looked at Sirius as though he had lost his mind, "I only have one vault Sirius, Hagrid took me there and gave the goblins the key that Dumbledore had given him," just talking about the old wizard caused a pang of hurt to flare up.

"So you've only been inside your school vault?" demanded Remus, sharing an incredulous, and slightly angry look with Sirius.

"It's the only one I own, so yes," this line of questioning was starting to irritate Harry, he felt as though he was missing something and he was pretty sure it had a lot to do with more secrets being kept away from him by a certain wizard with a long, white beard, "Is there something else I should know?"

"You have more than one vault Harry. The Potters are one of the oldest and richest pureblood family in England, even older than the Malfoys and Blacks, and you're the only living heir left in the world. All that fortune belongs to you now," Remus took a breath, "You really didn't know? You should've been taken there as soon as you turned eleven seeing as on the day you became an orphan, you also became Lord of the House of Potter in the eyes of the law," Harry's eyes were wide open in disbelief.

It was too much. How could he, Harry, possibly be a Lord? It had to be some sort of practical joke, but Remus wouldn't do that to him, and neither would Sirius, so he knew it was real. Unbelievable and overwhelming, but real.

"Who?"

"I beg your pardon?" asked Remus.

"Who should've taken me there? Who was responsible for that?" clarified Harry. When Remus started to look sad and uncomfortable Harry felt certain that he knew the answer, "Never mind, that look on your face says it all. What else is that old man keeping from me?" anger began to resurface and take hold of his emotions but he did his best to squash it down. He needed to have a clear mind, not one riddled with betrayal and hurt.

"Since I was sent to Azkaban and you were an orphan at the time, technically you had no guardian. I was the one appointed to you by your parents and if something were to happen to me then Remus should've taken charge,"

"Then why didn't you Remus?" Harry turned to face him.

"The magical world, especially the Ministry, would never approve of a Dark creature," all of them flinched at the term, it couldn't have been further from wrong, "taking care of The-Boy-Who-Lived. I could've challenged them on their decision but by the time the news reached me, you were already at your aunt and uncle's, only I didn't know that. I was just told that you were placed with a loving family that would gladly take care of you and when Dumbledore confirmed that , I saw no reason to rob you of something that I would never be able to give you. I tried to find out where you were taken but nobody would give me any information whatsoever and over time I just stopped asking," Harry couldn't believe how prejudiced the wizarding world could be. He could've lived and grown up with Remus had the Ministry and Dumbledore not stepped in. He would've grown up hearing stories of his parents and learned how to embrace his magic, not hide it away. Sirius' voice broke him out of his depressive thoughts.

"Your aunt and uncle may have been your guardians in the muggle world but in the magical world you had no guardian until you turned eleven, which is when you started Hogwarts and Dumbledore, being the current Headmaster, was given that responsibility,".

Harry gave a curt nod showing that he understood then stood up and started walking around the room. He had a lot to think about and little time to process everything if he wanted to get a move on quickly. He needed a plan. A plan that included doing something useful with all the stuff that he'd been told today. First things though, "I need to see these vaults that you're talking about. Maybe my parents left me something in one of them..." his voice trailed off, "I also need your help with something," they both looked at him expectantly, "I want you to help me train, to teach me everything you know and more. If I have even a small chance of winning this then I have to be ready for anything that may be thrown at me. I can't keep taking everything standing down, I need to learn how to fight," he halted his pacing and turned to look at his godfather and uncle. "Will you help me?" Sirius and Remus agreed with absolutely no hesitation and bid Harry to sit down so that they could begin their planning immediately.

"Tomorrow we can put in action the first part of your plan and go to Gringotts to see your vault," Sirius began the discussion.

"But won't they recognize you? It'll be too dangerous and I don't want them to throw you back in Azkaban after you only just got out, Sirius," Harry worried Sirius was taking this too lightly and just wanted a taste of danger in his life.

"Don't worry about that, the goblins want nothing to do with wizard affairs and as long as we don't mess with them, they won't mess with us. They take client confidentiality to the extreme, it's the main reason why Voldemort had so much power. The goblins don't like to take sides so they didn't stop known Death Eaters -that's what his followers named themselves- from taking money from their vaults and using it to support their cause," explained Sirius.

"We'll head there tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun comes up and Gringotts opens its' doors. As for the rest of your plan, we can start teaching and training you the same way we were taught by Moody as soon as we either find or make a good training room. We'll need lots of space, wards and weapons to train with,"

Remus nodded in agreement with Sirius. "I know some people that would be willing to help out with your training as well and I am positive that they would be willing to keep things quiet. That's another thing that we needed to tell you," he paused to make sure Harry was paying attention, "you cannot tell anyone where you are, not your friends, anyone. An owl could be intercepted -Hedwig is especially easy to identify- and fire calls are run by the Ministry. We will send a letter to Dumbledore by a post owl once we're in Diagon Alley to reassure him that you haven't been kidnapped. It won't stop him from looking for you but hopefully the Weasleys won't worry too much," his uncle obviously didn't know Mrs Weasley, she would worry until the moment she saw that he was fine with her very own eyes.

"I, um, actually already told someone," said Harry nervously. When his uncle and godfather looked alarmed, he quickly proceeded to explain, "No, I didn't tell her where you guys were taking me since I didn't know, but I did tell her that you were springing me out of the Dursleys' house. She won't tell anyone though, I trust her" he added.

"Well, that's okay I guess. Soon everyone will know you're gone anyway," Sirius' worried look quickly changed to one of mischievousness as he regarded his godson, "Tell me Harry, who is this girl that you oh so fully trust?" he wiggled his eyebrows, watching as the poor boy turned three different shades of red in less than ten seconds.

"I, um, uh-" stammered Harry, "It's just Ginny, my mate's little sister,"

"Oh, and tell me Harry, is this girl as pretty as her name?" Sirius was definitely enjoying harassing his godson this way, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

"She, um, I don't-maybe, can we talk about something else please?" Harry could feel his face heating up even more than before. He really didn't want to talk about the girl he'd had a crush on since he'd held her in his arms in his second year. Especially not with Sirius of all people.

"Alright Harry, we'll talk about something else," Sirius decided to give him a break and let it go. For now.

"Wait," said Remus, "I just want to know something. Is she a red-head?"

"Ah, of course; how could I forget?" Sirius was positively leaning on the edge of his chair, waiting excitedly for an answer.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question and I promise we won't bother you again," _for now, _Sirius added silently in his head.

"Yeah, sure, all Weasleys are. But her hair is different, it's more like a living flame, it's got so many different shades and colours and when it hits the light just right-" Harry stopped in his description when he saw that both men were beaming at him and barely holding in giddy laughter. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," replied both of them at the same time, putting on innocent masks, wiping the smiles off their faces and quickly changing the subject. "I'll send an owl to the people I know as soon as possible and hopefully we'll have an answer by tomorrow or the day after," Remus was all business again, "We'll also need to find someone who could tell us a lot more about Voldemort, someone who knows how his mind works and can tell us his weaknesses, but I don't know anyone like that, do you?", he directed his question to Sirius.

"No, I don't know either; well, none of them that would willingly keep Harry secret anyway,"

"Leave that to me," said Harry, "I know someone who's had first-hand experience with Voldemort and would love nothing more than to help bring him down. She won't say no,"

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